Friday, May 30, 2008

Acoustic Radar






Acoustic Location and Sound Mirrors. Link…

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Morris Dancing






The Esperance Morris Book Vol 1 & Vol 2 are just two of the items available from this large traditional and folk music library. Link…

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Monday, May 26, 2008

Iranian Dressing



Traditional, regional dress. Link…

Friday, May 23, 2008

Quipu / Khipu






The Incas used threads for record keeping and sending messages by runner. Link…

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Nagas







The women arrive at the work area, armed with long sticks. They stand in a horse-shoe pattern around the pile of rice to be husked. Following the song leader, who begins the text below during the repeat of the verse, the dancers pronounce words of a mnemotic nature, intended to work out the time and to measure approximately the quantity of rice husked.

While doing this, they perform in perfect ensemble a sideways movement, passing one leg over the other. Coupled with the hammering of the beaters, this body movement allows them not only to sweep through the pounding area, but also to maintain a body rhythm in this hard and repetitive work.

The song chanted by the first group is repeated by the second group. Each group comprises three voices singing in major thirds. The women work with their jewellery of glass beads, semi-precious stones and silver ornaments whose jangling sounds enter into the rhythmic composition of their song. In particular they wear around their hips, a bead-girdle of mid-thigh length.

"Welcome, welcome,
Beloved young men, beloved young women
To begin the harvest
Make me a basket with a strap
With designs across it
Our noble chief is Mr. Kinghazhe
Our noble lady is Mrs Sumiko
O, the generation of young Naga men is so handsome
O, the generation of young Naga women is so beautiful
At the end, we will go. Goodbye, goodbye"

Hill Peoples of Northeast India. The site has historic video, photographs, sketches, diaries and audio clips. Link…

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Old Dressing






The History of Costume - By Braun & Schneider - c.1861-1880. Link…

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Monday, May 19, 2008

Mosaic






This large and sprawling site has a section on mosaics. Link…

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Gertrude Bell Project











"They say the P&O are going to refuse to run their boats to Australia if the colonials hold out as to the Lascars. It's curious to see how all the Englishmen who have to deal with Australia hate the people there. It's scarcely surprising however for they hamper them with outrageous regulations at every step. As soon as these boats get into Australian waters they are charged duty on all the provisions that are used on board. It's almost incredible that we can allow this sort of thing. I should like to hand Australia over to Germany for 50 years and see what they made of King Stork. This man Osborne that I sit by at dinner is a rabid protectionist. He is as stupid as you choose, but he is a sheep farmer and naturally he wants an extra shilling or two on wool. He hasn't the beginning of an idea that his little silly personal interests don't weigh a feather in the big scales of English commerce. God bless my soul - etc!"
Gertrude Bell, traveller, archaeologist, spy, Iraqi state and king-maker and founder of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. Photographs, diaries and letters collected and digitised by Newcastle University. Link…